Duchess.—Singular Trick.—Its Strange
Success.—Mad Conduct of Maulevrier—He Is Sent to Spain.—His Adventures
There.—His Return and Tragical Catastrophe.

CHAPTER XXXII

Death of M. de Duras.—Selfishness of the King.—Anecdote of Puysieux.—
Character of Pontchartrain.—Why He Ruined the French Fleet.—Madame des
Ursins at Last Resolves to Return to Spain.—Favours Heaped upon Her.—
M. de Lauzun at the Army.—His bon mot.—Conduct of M. de Vendome.—
Disgrace and Character of the Grand Prieur.

                                VOLUME 5.

CHAPTER XXXIII

A Hunting Adventure.—Story and Catastrophe of Fargues.—Death and
Character of Ninon de l'Enclos.—Odd Adventure of Courtenvaux.—Spies at
Court.—New Enlistment.—Wretched State of the Country.—Balls at Marly.

CHAPTER XXXIV

Arrival of Vendome at Court.—Character of That Disgusting Personage.—
Rise of Cardinal Alberoni.—Vendome's Reception at Marly.—His Unheard-of
Triumph.—His High Flight.—Returns to Italy.—Battle of Calcinato.—
Condition of the Army.—Pique of the Marechal de Villeroy.—Battle of
Ramillies.—Its Consequences.

CHAPTER XXXV

Abandonment of the Siege of Barcelona.—Affairs of Italy.—
La Feuillade.—Disastrous Rivalries.—Conduct of M. d'Orleans.—The Siege
of Turin.—Battle.—Victory of Prince Eugene.—Insubordination in the
Army.—Retreat.—M. d'Orleans Returns to Court.—Disgrace of La Feuillade.

CHAPTER XXXVI

Measures of Economy.—Financial Embarrassments.—The King and
Chamillart.—Tax on Baptisms and Marriages.—Vauban's Patriotism.—
Its Punishment.—My Action with M. de Brissac.—I Appeal to the King.—
The Result.—I Gain My Action.

CHAPTER XXXVII

My Appointment as Ambassador to Rome.—How It Fell Through.—Anecdotes of
the Bishop of Orleans.—A Droll Song.—A Saint in Spite of Himself.—
Fashionable Crimes.—A Forged Genealogy.—Abduction of Beringhen.—
The 'Parvulos' of Meudon and Mademoiselle Choin.

CHAPTER XXXVIII

Death and Last Days of Madame de Montespan.—Selfishness of the King.—
Death and Character of Madame de Nemours.—Neufchatel and Prussia.—
Campaign of Villars.—Naval Successes.—Inundations of the Loire.—Siege
of Toulon.—A Quarrel about News.—Quixotic Despatches of Tesse.

                                VOLUME 6.

CHAPTER XXXIX

Precedence at the Communion Table.—The King Offended with Madame de
Torcy.—The King's Religion.—Atheists and Jansenists.—Project against
Scotland.—Preparations.—Failure.—The Chevalier de St. George.—His
Return to Court.

CHAPTER XL

Death and Character of Brissac.—Brissac and the Court Ladies.—The
Duchesse de Bourgogne.—Scene at the Carp Basin.—King's Selfishness.—
The King Cuts Samuel Bernard's Purse.—A Vain Capitalist.—Story of Leon
and Florence the Actress.—His Loves with Mademoiselle de Roquelaure.—
Run—away Marriage.—Anger of Madame de Roquelaure.—A Furious Mother.—
Opinions of the Court.—A Mistake.—Interference of the King.—
Fate of the Couple.

CHAPTER XLI

The Duc d'Orleans in Spain.—Offends Madame des Ursins and Madame de
Maintenon.—Laziness of M. de Vendome in Flanders.—Battle of Oudenarde.
—Defeat and Disasters.—Difference of M. de Vendome and the Duc de
Bourgogne.

CHAPTER XLII

Conflicting Reports.—Attacks on the Duc de Bourgogne.—The Duchesse de
Bourgogne Acts against Vendome.—Weakness of the Duke.—Cunning of
Vendome.—The Siege of Lille.—Anxiety for a Battle.—Its Delay.—Conduct
of the King and Monseigneur.—A Picture of Royal Family Feeling.—Conduct
of the Marechal de Boufflers.

CHAPTER XLIII

Equivocal Position of the Duc de Bourgogne.—His Weak Conduct.—
Concealment of a Battle from the King.—Return of the Duc de Bourgogne to
Court.—Incidents of His Reception.—Monseigneur.—Reception of the Duc
de Berry.—Behaviour of the Duc de Bourgogne.—Anecdotes of Gamaches.—
Return of Vendome to Court.—His Star Begins to Wane.—Contrast of
Boufflers and Vendome.—Chamillart's Project for Retaking Lille.—How It
Was Defeated by Madame de Maintenon.

CHAPTER XLIV

Tremendous Cold in France.—Winters of 1708-1709—Financiers and the
Famine.—Interference of the Parliaments of Paris and Dijon.—Dreadful
Oppression.—Misery of the People.—New Taxes.—Forced Labour.—General
Ruin.—Increased Misfortunes.—Threatened Regicide.—Procession of Saint
Genevieve.—Offerings of Plate to the King.—Discontent of the People.—
A Bread Riot, How Appeased.

CHAPTER XLV

M. de Vendome out of Favour.—Death and Character of the Prince de
Conti.—Fall of Vendome.—Pursegur's Interview with the King.—Madame de
Bourgogne against Vendome.—Her Decided Conduct.—Vendome Excluded from
Marly.—He Clings to Meudon.—From Which He is also Expelled.—His Final
Disgrace and Abandonment.—Triumph of Madame de Maintenon.

CHAPTER XLVI

Death of Pere La Chaise.—His Infirmities in Old Age.—Partiality of the
King.—Character of Pere La Chaise.—The Jesuits.—Choice of a New
Confessor.—Fagon's Opinion.—Destruction of Port Royal.—Jansenists and
Molinists.—Pascal.—Violent Oppression of the Inhabitants of Port Royal.

                                VOLUME 7.

CHAPTER XLVII

Death of D'Avaux.—A Quarrel about a Window.—Louvois and the King.—
Anecdote of Boisseuil.—Madame de Maintenon and M. de Beauvilliers.—
Harcourt Proposed for the Council.—His Disappointment.—Death of M. le
Prince.—His Character.—Treatment of His Wife.—His Love Adventures.—
His Madness.—A Confessor Brought.—Nobody Regrets Him.

CHAPTER XLVIII

Progress of the War.—Simplicity of Chamillart.—The Imperialists and the
Pope.—Spanish Affairs.—Duc d'Orleans and Madame des Ursins.—Arrest of
Flotte in Spain.—Discovery of the Intrigues of the Duc d'Orleans.—Cabal
against Him.—His Disgrace and Its Consequences.

CHAPTER XLIX

Danger of Chamillart.—Witticism of D'Harcourt.—Faults of Chamillart.—
Court Intrigues against Him.—Behaviour of the Courtiers.—Influence of
Madame de Maintenon.—Dignified Fall of Chamillart.—He is Succeeded by
Voysin.—First Experience of the New Minister.—The Campaign in
Flanders.—Battle of Malplaquet.

CHAPTER L.

Disgrace of the Duc d'Orleans.—I Endeavor to Separate Him from Madame
d'Argenton.—Extraordinary Reports.—My Various Colloquies with Him.—The
Separation.—Conduct of Madame d'Argenton.—Death and Character of M. le
Duc.—The After-suppers of the King.

CHAPTER LI

Proposed Marriage of Mademoiselle.—My Intrigues to Bring It About.—The
Duchesse de Bourgogne and Other Allies.—The Attack Begun.—Progress of
the Intrigue.—Economy at Marly.—The Marriage Agreed Upon.—Scene at
Saint-Cloud.—Horrible Reports.—The Marriage.—Madame de Saint-Simon.—
Strange Character of the Duchesse de Berry.

CHAPTER LII

Birth of Louis XV.—The Marechale de la Meilleraye.—Saint-Ruth's
Cudgel.—The Cardinal de Bouillon's Desertion from France.—Anecdotes of
His Audacity.

CHAPTER LIII

Imprudence of Villars.—The Danger of Truthfulness.—Military Mistakes.—
The Fortunes of Berwick.—The Son of James.—Berwick's Report on the
Army.—Imprudent Saying of Villars.—"The Good Little Fellow" in a
Scrape.—What Happens to Him.

CHAPTER LIV

Duchesse de Berry Drunk.—Operations in